Jeremiah 17:8 - "For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit."

Freshwater Academy

Fresh Water Academy was founded in 2010. It is home to four lovely young ladies of learning and their dedicated teachers. Located in the wilds of Wyoming, the name Fresh Water Academy was chosen as a Western analogy to Christ. Just as He is the Living Water, and we must have Him to have eternal life, any desert dweller knows the importance of fresh water to life, both for self, and the nourishment of crops or livestock. By taking nourishment in God and His word, we strengthen our own relationship with Him, our faith, and the quality and abundance of our fruitfulness.

Our keystone verse is from Jeremiah, Chapter 17, Verse 8: "For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit."

The fruit that we speak of is mentioned in Galatians 5:22

"22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

And the heat could be anything we experience that might test our faith in God; trials and tribulations, relationships, anything that focuses our love and attention anywhere but on Him...

Friday, June 15, 2012

Keep Moving Forward

Sometimes, when I'm facing something that seems insurmountable, or just plain hard, that line from Meet the Robinsons goes through my head, and I remind myself to "Keep Moving Forward".

There's a lot of Biblical application in that too. Hebrews 12:1 clearly tells us to "lay aside every weight and run with patience the race that is set before us." It doesn't say "Oh, you messed up, you better just lay down and quit right there." It says to lay aside the sin that is messing with you, to move beyond that, and concentrate on the race and the job you are supposed to do!

Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

There are other verses in the Bible that also talk about moving past disappointment, failure, troubles, mistakes, sin and hurt. There are some that remind us to wait up on the Lord, not to go into battle ourselves, but to strap on our holy armor and wait for Him to lead, being prepared and ready whenever we are called. I've put together a list of some of those that I look to when I'm feeling defeated or discouraged. Just remember. God cannot be defeated. He is the be all and end all of it all :). I know, that sounded a little repetitive, but God is IT. The King of Glory, the Father of Creation, Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He is everything, and He will always be there for His children.

Ephesians 6:10-18 Talks about putting on our holy armor each day, and being prepared for battle. Because battle it is. Every day we face forces in this world that we don't understand, and that we cannot defeat on our own. In order to battle against them, we must be protected, and we must be prepared.

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

As it says in Ephesians, prayer is an awesome tool for us to be communicating with God all the time, and it helps us to be open to His leading. "Praying always iwth all prayer eand supplication in the Spirit"...Romans 12:12 also tells us to "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."

No matter what, we are reminded, that God has chosen us for His purpose and His glory, and through Him, "we are more than conquerors."

Romans 8:37-39No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

As I was searching for "Keep Moving Forward" on YouTube, another video that I hadn't seen crossed my path. Especially pay attention to the first minute, where Rocky explains that you're going to be hit, and it's not about giving up or blaming others, but continuing to keep moving forward. We need to be willing to take the hits, and win the race! God will always love us no matter how much we fall down or how badly we fail, we are His children, and we are precious to Him, so use that as encouragement, and keep going, keep trying, keep running that race.

Look at all that can be accomplished when you "Just keep swimming! Together!"